10 Questions for Formulating AI Guidelines in Education

Ten pivotal questions to guide educators in establishing AI usage guidelines in the classroom, emphasizing the balance between harnessing AI's potential and maintaining ethical standards.

10 Questions for Formulating AI Guidelines in Education

The Emergence of AI in Education: Artificial intelligence has become a significant tool in education, enhancing both teaching methods and student learning. Recognizing its power, we must also acknowledge the responsibility that comes with it.

The Need for Clear AI Guidelines: As AI's role in education grows, it's essential for educators to develop guidelines ensuring AI is used to enrich learning while protecting student welfare.

AI's Dual Nature: AI in the classroom offers numerous advantages, such as personalized learning, immediate feedback, and promoting innovation. However, being cautious of risks like misinformation, privacy concerns, and undermining critical thinking skills is crucial.

Developing AI Guidelines: A 10-Question Approach

Embarking on the journey of integrating AI into your educational practice can effectively start with a thoughtful series of questions. These inquiries are designed to assist you in navigating the complexities and considerations of AI in the educational sphere, ultimately shaping your educational philosophy regarding its use.

These questions can be explored independently, allowing you to create a tailored approach that aligns with the unique characteristics of your classroom. Alternatively, this exploration can be undertaken collaboratively with your peers. Engaging in such group discussions is particularly beneficial if the goal is to establish a unified framework for AI application that is consistent across your grade level, department, school, or even district-wide.

🤔 Questions to Ponder

1. What grade level(s) and subject(s) do you teach?

2. Which specific AI tools are you planning to integrate into your classroom?

3. What objectives do you aim to achieve by using AI in your classroom?

4. How do you perceive AI's role in education?

5. What are your main concerns regarding AI utilization in the classroom?

6. What are your expectations for student engagement with AI?

7. How do you intend to monitor and ensure ethical AI use by students?

8. Are there existing technology policies in your classroom that AI usage should align with?

9. How will you address challenges arising from AI use in the classroom?

10. What steps will you take to ensure AI accessibility and inclusivity?

11. How do you plan to address data privacy issues and concerns with your students?

Here are illustrative examples of potential responses to these questions. It's important to note that these responses are not definitive or universally applicable. Rather, they serve as examples to demonstrate the process of engaging with these inquiries. These samples are intended to provide a glimpse into how one might navigate through the process, offering a framework that can be adapted to your specific context and needs.

💡 Illustrative Answers

1. Grade Level and Subjects: Grade 8 Language Arts

2. AI Tools: Integration of Google AI tools for various classroom activities.

3. Goals: Enhancing student writing, organization, and content understanding through AI.

4. Role of AI: Supplementing teaching and learning, aiding in grading, and providing new learning experiences.

5. Concerns: Plagiarism, dependency on AI for work completion, misinformation, and privacy issues.

6. Expectations: AI as an assistant, not a solution provider; promoting ethical use.

7. Monitoring Use: Using tools like Google Docs for transparency and accountability.

8. Existing Policies: Aligning AI usage with current technology guidelines.

9. Addressing Problems: Treating AI misuse as a general technology misuse issue.

10. Accessibility and Inclusivity: Ensuring AI tools are available and beneficial to all students.

11. Data Privacy: Educating students about the importance of not sharing personal information with AI systems.

🤖 Crafting the Guidelines

Using AI, educators can transform these responses into a structured "Student AI Guidelines" document. The AI-generated document should provide a clear, organized set of rules for appropriate AI usage in the classroom.

✅ Sample Guidelines

Generated guidelines should encompass the following:

1. AI Tool Usage

2. Goals and Objectives

3. AI's Educational Role

4. Ethical AI Usage

5. Monitoring and Transparency

6. Alignment with Existing Tech Policies

7. Inclusivity and Accessibility

8. Data Privacy

✅ Example

Eighth Grade Language Arts AI Integration Principles

Greetings to our Grade 8 Language Arts students! We're excited to introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools into our learning environment this year. It's crucial to utilize these tools responsibly and effectively. This set of guidelines outlines the protocols for AI usage in our classroom.

1. Selection of AI Tools In our classroom, we'll engage with various Google AI tools, encompassing Bard and AI functionalities integrated into Google Docs, Slides, Gmail, and Search. These tools are designed to spark creativity in writing, offer organizational tips, provide feedback on assignments, and assist with understanding course content.

2. Objectives of AI Utilization Our aim in integrating AI into our curriculum is to enhance and enrich our educational experiences. AI will act as a supplementary aid, offering support similar to that provided by a teacher but customized for each student's needs. It will assist in areas such as evaluation, ideation, structuring projects, and personalized tutoring.

3. Classroom Role of AI AI's role is to supplement, not substitute, your efforts. It is not intended to complete your assignments but to provide additional support. AI will offer tailored help to meet diverse learning requirements, including content simplification and summarization.

4. Responsible AI Engagement Key considerations for ethical AI use include:

• Avoiding Plagiarism: Do not present AI-generated content as your own.

• Assessing Information: Critically evaluate the information produced by AI.

• Preventing Harassment: AI must not be used to create offensive content.

• Safeguarding Personal Data: Refrain from sharing personal details with AI systems.

1. Supervising AI Application For transparent AI use, all AI-assisted tasks should be done in Google Docs, where the Version History feature can monitor progress. Any assignment aided by AI should include an “AI Contributions” section explaining the AI's role.

2. Classroom Technology Rules All technology, including AI, should be used appropriately in the classroom. Students may be required to put away technology during certain class activities. Misuse of AI tools will be handled as any other inappropriate technology use.

3. Equal Access and Choice AI tools are accessible to every student for additional support. However, using AI is entirely voluntary, and all choices will be respected.

4. Concerns About Data Privacy Data privacy is of utmost importance. Personal information should not be entered into AI systems.

5. Addressing AI-Related Issues If issues related to AI use arise, they will be managed like any other classroom challenge. For example, plagiarism involving AI will be addressed using our standard academic integrity guidelines.

Adhering to these principles ensures AI is a positive and ethical tool in our educational journey. Feel free to discuss any queries or concerns regarding these guidelines. Let’s embark on an exciting and insightful learning adventure!

🚀 Further Steps

For refinement, educators can use AI to create comparative tables illustrating proper and improper AI usage, aiding students in understanding the guidelines better.

☑️ Gathering More Examples

Educators can refer to various resources for further inspiration and examples, including policies from different educational institutions.

Here are several examples from that resource:

• Syllabi Policies for AI Generative Tools - Large collection from Lance Eaton

  • Google Docs version - Resource link

  • Google Sheets version - Resource link

• Sample Guidance on the Use of AI from TeachAI

  • Overview - teachai.org/toolkit

  • Webpage version - Resource link

  • Google Docs version - Resource link

• Planning Guide for AI from Michigan Virtual - Resource link

• NEOLA examples

  • Pleasant Local Schools - Marion, OH - Resource link

  • Princeton City School District - Cincinnati, OH - Resource link

• University of Kentucky - Resource link

• Lawrence School - Sagamore Hills, OH - Resource link

• Plano ISD's Generative Artificial Intelligence Position and Guidance - Resource link

• All Saints’ Episcopal School A.I. Course Policies by Subject - Resource link

• Beverly Hills Unified School District Academic Honesty Policy - Resource link

• K-12 Generative AI Readiness Checklist - Resource link

🏁 Conclusion

This approach is designed to help educators navigate the complexities of AI in the classroom, ensuring its benefits are maximized while potential risks are minimized. By periodically revising these guidelines, educators can stay abreast of the evolving nature of AI technology.